Sandwiched between the Jersey Shore and Delaware’s off-the-beaten-path beach towns like Rehoboth, Bethany and Dewey, Lewes can be easy to miss — but it rewards a longer visit. This coastal town offers calm beaches, an oceanfront state park, notable World War II history, and a lively beverage scene that pairs perfectly with salt air and slow afternoons.
Stay at the Dogfish Inn, a small boutique hotel run by the owners of Dogfish Head Brewery. The inn’s 16 rooms are equipped with beach gear, and the backyard features Adirondack chairs and a fire pit that encourage relaxed evenings with other guests. While beer isn’t served at the inn, guests can take a growler to the brewery’s brewpub in Rehoboth for brews to go. There you can join a tour, sample a flight, and order beer-battered fish and chips alongside the brewery’s signature 60-Minute IPA.
Second Street is Lewes’s main thoroughfare, a bustling stretch full of restaurants and independent shops. Pick up classic vinyl at The Vintage Underground or distinctive home goods at The Bungalow on 2nd, then head to the oyster bar at Lewes Oyster House. The menu highlights half a dozen oyster varieties prepared in many styles: raw on the half shell, wrapped in jamón ibérico, charbroiled with herbed butter and cheese, fried Buffalo-style, or roasted Rockefeller.
© Kelly Magyarics
Beverage pairings range from crisp beers to inventive cocktails like a savory giardiniera martini made with vegetable sous-vide–infused vodka, Dolin dry vermouth and house dirty juice, garnished with a skewer of pickled vegetables. Between meals and drinks, explore more than six miles of shoreline at Cape Henlopen State Park, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic and Fort Miles’ World War II fire control towers remain as reminders of the past. Bayfront beaches such as Savannah Beach and Johnnie Walker (named for a local resident) are ideal for floating on a noodle or inflatable lounger instead of battling surf.
For waterfront dining, brunch on the terrace at Harbour on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal is a highlight. Watch boats drift by while enjoying dishes like pork belly bao buns, clams oreganata or maple-pecan Arctic char. The cocktail menu encourages daytime sipping, with drinks such as a Seville orange riff on the Bee’s Knees featuring St. Germain, honey, lemon and fennel pollen salt, or a zero-proof gimlet with lemon verbena, lime, Earl Grey tea and vanilla.
No conversation about local drinks is complete without mentioning the Crush. Originating in 1995 in Ocean City, Maryland, the classic Crush blends freshly squeezed orange juice, vodka, triple sec and Sprite, served in a pint glass over ice. Although Ocean City claims its invention, the Crush has been widely adopted across the Delmarva peninsula and appears in many seasonal variations.
Wheelhouse, with its casual Key West vibe and canal-side patio seating, is a good spot to sample the many flavors of Crush, from mango and grapefruit to blueberry and strawberry. If you don’t mind a short drive during the season, Big Chill Beach Club in Bethany offers sweeping views of the Atlantic, Rehoboth Bay and the striking Indian River Inlet Bridge. Multiple outdoor levels provide plenty of seating, and watching bartenders press fresh citrus by hand at the bar is part of the experience.
Between the salt air, the relaxed setting and warm hospitality, Lewes has a way of making visitors linger. For many, the perfect souvenir of the stay is a chilled glass over ice with a splash of citrus — best enjoyed slowly.